WEST CHESTER, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — The Division II West Chester University women’s basketball team is one of the top squads in the region, and a big reason for that is grad student guard Leah Johnson.
Johnson started 103 of the 104 games she played for the Golden Rams since coming on campus in 2019. Last Saturday in a blowout win over East Stroudsburg, Johnson made program history, picking up her 510th career assist, breaking the West Chester record that had stood since 1990. She says she was aware heading into the game that history was on the table.
“I knew I was three away,” she said. “But passing is what I do, so I knew it was gonna come. It went to (teammate) Emily McAteer, which is no other way that I would want it to go. I knew that she would catch the ball and finish. So I knew once I hit my second one that I had, that I was tied and then I knew the third one would be 510.”
There’s a good chance Johnson isn’t done setting impressive records: she needs just 87 more points to break West Chester’s all-time mark in that category. And while she admits the milestones and records are impressive, Johnson says she isn’t focused on them.
“At the end of the day, I wanna do what's possible for this team to make the postseason and have a run similar to what we did last year,” she said. “The record is cool and everything and I'll be excited to get another ball. But other than that, it's just another basketball that goes up in my parents' house.”
Last season, Johnson and the Golden Rams advanced into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. For her career, she averages nearly 15 points, six rebounds and five assists per game.